


You Say It's Your Birthday

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-03 17:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1752566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe they talked a few times but their entire relationship consisted of Anderson trying not to get caught looking at him and fantasizing about him while alone in his bedroom.  Now there was birthday cake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Say It's Your Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> This story isn’t part of my #1 Crush series but it is a high school AU. It’s for andersonsland’s birthday because she is super awesome and was the one who gave me the boys in the first place. I'm so lucky to call her friend. Happy birthday!

He was a teenager so he'd had his share of dumb ideas and plans over the years. This might be the dumbest of all. Anderson wasn’t even going to go to school today but decided he would rather hang out with his friends than be all alone. So he got up on the cold winter morning, got dressed, and headed to LBJ High. It was a typical day. 

There was socializing in the hall, cutting gym class to smoke behind the auditorium, an almost skirmish with a jerk who wanted to make fun of Spencer and give him a shove…another high school adventure. Right before seventh period AP Lit, Anderson went to his locker to drop a bunch of books off. He'd managed to snag eighth period Computer Science class, since he was awesome, and they only used laptops. As he opened his locker to drop a bunch of textbooks in and grab _The House of Mirth_ out, a piece of paper fell at his feet. Anderson picked it up and opened it. 

The handwriting wasn’t recognizable so he read it. It had probably been slipped into the wrong locker. _Meet me by your favorite tree in the quad at six o’clock, you’ll need a flashlight. I’ll bring the birthday cake_. His eyes got wider as he looked to his right and then his left. Not too many people knew that today was his birthday. 

His friends didn’t want to make a big deal about it at school and draw attention to him. So who could’ve possibly left this note? It had a practical joke from Elle written all over it…she was the prankster queen. He knew her handwriting but she could’ve asked someone else to do it and make it look legit.

“Shake a leg,” Penelope went flying by his locker, her hand running through his hair. “Mrs. Clemmons hates when we’re late.”

Anderson came back to reality. He folded the note, slipped it into his pocket, and rushed off to class. There was no way he was going to be out on the quad at six o’clock in the dark on his own. Let Elle get her giggle on while freezing to death.

000

He had to make up a lie when his stepdad asked what he needed the good floodlight for. Anderson said he was on his way to Penelope’s to help her mom with some stuff. He held up to the scrutiny of his stepfather’s gaze before Pete told him it was in the top of the hall closet. The whole way back to school on the train he tried to talk himself out of doing this. 

What if someone wanted to hurt him? Worse, what if someone wanted to embarrass him and get it on film? What if Anderson was scared so badly that he died of a heart attack? He could see the short header now in the back of the _Washington Times…Dumbass Kid Dies on 18th birthday because he let his curiosity get the better of him_. Anderson was sure he wasn’t important enough to make the _Post_ , even in death.

The neighborhood, nestled between Adams-Morgan and Columbia Heights, was quiet. There were a few people out and about but there wasn’t much commercial space around the area. The streetlights were already on but once he’d made it onto campus, Anderson needed the light. He hoped security didn’t catch him and escort him off the premises. He hoped security did catch him and escort him off the premises.

A light snow began to fall as he got closer to the quad. He’d never seen the school so empty or ominous looking. Anderson ignored the rumbling in his belly, it might have been hunger after all, and kept walking. He would get to the tree, wait for like five minutes, and then break out into a run. This had to be in the top 5 worst ideas he ever had in his life. And this from the kid who jumped out of his window at five and broke his ankle.

There was a blue bag sitting on top of the bench near his tree. Anderson hung out on that bench all the time. It was where he sometimes smoked cigarettes with his friends, even though it mostly wasn’t allowed. It was where they talked smack and made jokes to get through bad days and bad weeks and fear of failure. The bag couldn’t have been empty or it would’ve blown away in the cutting wind. 

When he was finally there, Anderson shone the flashlight inside before he reached in. There was just a rock, probably to hold it down. Under the rock was a piece of paper…it looked just like the paper that had fallen out of his locker. Sliding it out of its secure place, Anderson opened it and looked at the words. It was the same handwriting he'd seen earlier in the afternoon. 

_I just wanted to give you a piece of birthday cake_. What in the hell? There was no birthday cake. There was no one out here, just a dumb kid who could’ve been hanging out with friends for his 18th birthday but decided to go on what would surely be the last adventure of his young, completely uneventful life.

“Hey Grant.”

“Jesus H. Christ!” Anderson exclaimed, turning on the voice and yielding his flashlight like a samurai sword. “Hotch?”

Aaron Hotchner had jumped back some, didn’t want to get hit in the face. Anderson was wildly swinging the large flashlight in front of him. He stumbled a bit, trying to keep his footing while not having use of his hands.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, are you alright?”

“Am I alright!” Anderson exclaimed. “Are you seriously asking me that? No, I'm about to have a fucking heart attack cuz some dude just came up behind me in the dark and scared the shit out of me. No, I am not alright.”

“I just wanted to give you a piece of birthday cake.”

He held out the little plate with the cake on it. It looked like chocolate cake with chocolate icing but Anderson had no idea what was going on. Was it poisoned? Of course it wasn’t poisoned; Aaron Hotchner wasn’t that kind of guy. 

Not that Anderson knew him very well. It wasn’t like they ever had conversations or anything. Maybe they talked a few times but their entire relationship consisted of Anderson trying not to get caught looking at him and fantasizing about him while alone in his bedroom. Now there was birthday cake.

“Chocolate is my favorite.” He said. He said it because he didn’t know what else to say.

“I know.” Hotch nodded.

“How did you know that?”

“I do listen when you talk, Grant. We sat next to each other for a whole year in Trig last year and now I sit in front of you in Poli Sci.”

“I often admire the back of your head.” Anderson said.

“Um…thanks.”

“Did I really just say that out loud? I hope I didn’t say that out loud. Let’s just pretend I didn’t OK?”

“You should make a wish.” Hotch smiled and showed his dimples. It was windy but he managed to get the candle lit on the slice of cake. He kept it covered with the palm of his hand. “Hurry, there’s not much time.”

His steps toward his crush were tentative but Anderson got there. He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of Hotch’s skin and then leaned to blow out the candle. Before his could open his eyes again, Hotch pulled him close and kissed him. For just a moment, maybe even less than that, Anderson gasped for air. Then he realized what was happening. He realized, feeling his whole body relax and then turn to a puddle of goo. It may have been just above freezing outside but Anderson was sure his temperature was going through the roof.

“If you tell me your wish,” Hotch whispered as their lips came apart. “It won't come true.”

“I don’t need to tell you.” Anderson replied. “It looks like you already know.”

“I was afraid I waited too long.”

“At the risk of sounding like a doofus, you could’ve kissed me on my 30th birthday and it would’ve been awesome.”

“I don’t even think I have that kind of patience.” Hotch smiled again. He couldn’t help leaning in for another kiss. “Do you want to grab something to eat?”

“Together?” Anderson asked. It was another face palm moment but considering all that had happened in the last ten minutes, he would get a pass. This was happening. This wasn’t a prank and it was really happening. Maybe he should pinch himself just to make sure.

“Yeah…together.”

“Can I eat the cake on the way? It’s my birthday after all, and I never let good chocolate go to waste.”

“You can do whatever you want,” Hotch said. “I just want to do it with you.”

***


End file.
